[creativenits]

Hi all,

i have my GMAT scheduled on 3/19. I have gone through the basic material from Princeton and Kaplan. As of now i am taking tests. But i could not detect a trend in my scores. The scores are coming in pretty random fashion.

For ex. For full lenghts,
kaplan diagnostic - 660
ETS test 1 - 650
Kaplan test1 - 570

As far as sections are concerned i am good at maths. The score comes around 48-51.
But verbal, its taking a toll at my overall score. Its from 31 - 38.

Earlier SC was a real grey or rather a black area....i improved there. Then, suddenly RC scores started falling, then i tried to manage them a bit and now CR is showing its ugly face up!

What i mean by manage is that i go again through the notes\guidelines in books.

But now again i am back to square one as in the recent test ( kaplan test1), RC and SC were again less than 50% correct.

Is this something to do with KAplan only or i am doing some generic mistake in my approach?

Any suggestions will help as i still have 15 more days to the final G-day!:grab:

~Nits

[ketanm]

I have not taken the GMAT yet...so it might not be an expert opinion... but the main reason for RC/CR getting screwed is the "stamina" factor.... Have you tried section tests of RC/CR... and if you score well in section tests and not in the full test then it is definitely the fatigue ..... try to keep your focus and improve concentration.....

If there is any other reason.... then gmat veterans out here might help you...

But one last suggestion.... dont get too worried at this stage....start slowly "unwinding" yourself so that you can be fresh on the D-day..... Best Luck

Ketan

[amithmp]

[Deleting old posts]

[creativenits]

Originally Posted by ketanm

I have not taken the GMAT yet...so it might not be an expert opinion... but the main reason for RC/CR getting screwed is the "stamina" factor.... Have you tried section tests of RC/CR... and if you score well in section tests and not in the full test then it is definitely the fatigue ..... try to keep your focus and improve concentration.....

If there is any other reason.... then gmat veterans out here might help you...

But one last suggestion.... dont get too worried at this stage....start slowly "unwinding" yourself so that you can be fresh on the D-day..... Best Luck

Ketan

I guess stamina might be the reason....but probably the toghness of kaplan tests is playing a role here....cause yesterday i got a 41 in verbal SC from PR.

Thanks for the advice....and the much needed luck!! And yes AMit i am gonna concentrate hard!

[ketanm]

BTW if you do not know, the usual trend for the GMAT score has been that

Your approximate GMAT score in the actual test = (Kaplan Test scores + 100) = PowerPrep scores

This is NOT an exact formula, but this is a general trend. Most test-takers get something like 100 or so points less in Kaplan than in any other test.... so NEVER NEVER take kaplan in the last week before the actual GMAT....

And since you are getting around 570 to 660 in kaplan tests....your actual GMAT score should be anything between 670 to 750

Ketan

[the_czar]

Originally Posted by ketanm

BTW if you do not know, the usual trend for the GMAT score has been that

Your approximate GMAT score in the actual test = (Kaplan Test scores + 100) = PowerPrep scores

This is NOT an exact formula, but this is a general trend. Most test-takers get something like 100 or so points less in Kaplan than in any other test.... so NEVER NEVER take kaplan in the last week before the actual GMAT....

And since you are getting around 570 to 660 in kaplan tests....your actual GMAT score should be anything between 670 to 750

Ketan

i second that..........from personal exp.

used to get 550-570 in kaplan........finally scored 670

my suggestion is identify weak areas, work on them, take some tests to get the hang of it........n finally just chill .........forget about what ur scores have been so far.....just go there with a cool head prepared for the worst.....trust me it helps when u stop thinking about the outcome n just focus on what u have at hand

atb.....hope u do well

the_czar

[pagalguy]

I dont really believe in Kaplan . Ok the material is good, but the tests are horrible. I took up a Kaplan test the week before the GMAT and scored a royal 520 . Then headed over to the test center to get a 720. I wouldn't read too much into Kaplan/Princeton GMAT scores.

If taking up powerprep, remember that the QA at the actual GMAT is a lot tougher. VA/RC seemed similar

Cheers,

[creativenits]

given some more tests....now i have 5 days left for the G-day!


scores have increased....in
Kaplan 2 = 570
Kaplan 3 = 590

i am loosing out a lot on verbal...i mean in Kaplan tests it was around 21 - 23.
The Quants is consistent with score on 50.

lets see....i will go through the PS from powerprep this week and review verbal from OGR.

Any special topics in Quants i should delve into now...? I have heared from may ppl that quants is basically the show-stopper there in actual test...if any particular topics spring up there as bete noire...like probability, etc please let me know....!!

thanks for the words of wisdom i have recieved from senior membes here at PG.

i m keeping my fingers crossed. and hoping for a good score

~Nits

[Baba Yaga]

Hey Nits

You seem to be very consistent with Quant, so I would'nt worry about your score too much ... Just relax - remember it's not Rocket Science, just 10 std maths ... And as for Kaplan Verbal - as people in this thread have told you, it is in NO way representative of your actual score ... The RCs are WAY too lengthy and tough in Kaplans ... Plus the scoring algorithm they use is different from the one ETS uses ... People end up getting 80-100 points more than what they score in Kaplans ... I have a friend who gave GMAT a week after me ... He used to get 580-620 in Kaplans ... He finally made 780 in the GMAT! ... That's almost a 200 point jump ...

Best of luck for your GMAT! ... Do post your score out here ... We'd all love to see how you've done ...

[creativenits]

hi all,

Thanks for all your words of wisdom and advice on this forum. Finally my GMAT is over, but i fell short from my targetted score by 20 pts.

I scored 680 on my GMAT on 19 March 2005.
Quants - 50
Verbal - 31

The score was pretty much same as i was doing in my mocks....!
I am quite satisfied with my 680 vis-a-vis the work pressure and time i devoted in my studies . Though a 20 or 10 points :grab: would have helped me equal the ISB average of 690, it is kind of OK score .

Now going forward i am looking for applying to ISB in R1. Lets see what happens. On table i have -

1. 3 yrs exp in IT with 1 yr exp at client location.
2. Loads of extracurriculars - poetry, Advertising & promotional works, creative writing, etc.
3. GMAT score - 680.

Since IT background makes me quite a part of the big crowd...i need to do some soul searching to find the uniqueness. Well at least for some time, as GMAT is over...the already hectic schedule will be less hectic

Would need loads of inputs from the wise janta here for the way ahead!!

~Nits
*first they laugh at you, then they ignore you, then they fight you and then you win!* - M.K. Gandhi